


The Past

by hamelott



Category: The Librarians (TV 2014)
Genre: Happy ending though, M/M, also jacob stone is really caring, ezekiel jones has a sad childhood, rated for some cursing, relationship angst
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-20
Updated: 2017-01-20
Packaged: 2018-09-18 20:40:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,470
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9402080
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hamelott/pseuds/hamelott
Summary: Got a request on tumblr for Jake finding out about Ezekiel's childhood from anonymous and this is what came out of it.





	

Ezekiel was in the main hall of the Library, lounging in a chair with his feet propped on a table. When he heard the door behind him slam, he knew with zero doubt that Jake was the one stomping his way towards him.

“What the hell is this?” Jake demanded even though he still stood behind Ezekiel, and Ezekiel could obviously not see what he was talking about.

“What’s what?” Ezekiel asked, not looking at him. Despite his clam exterior, he was screaming at himself on the inside. Why was he like this?

“You know what.” Jake’s voice was practically a growl as he threw his phone onto the table, right next to Ezekiel’s feet.

“Oh,” Ezekiel said, and his heart was pounding a mile a minute but he continued with his faux nonchalance. “I thought it was pretty obvious what it was.”

“You broke up with me,” Jake snapped. “Over the phone! Like a fourteen-year-old douchebag!”

“Well,” Ezekiel said, shrugging, “you all treat me like a kid anyways, so it really shouldn’t be all that surprising.”

“Don’t pull that crap,” Jake snapped, coming to Ezekiel’s side. He ripped a chair from underneath the table and sat down on it with his legs straddling the back of it and faced Ezekiel. “You know I’ve got more respect for you than anybody.”

“Well,” Ezekiel repeated himself, at a loss for words. What could he say to just make Jake go away? “I thought it was pretty obvious why we broke up.”

“Really? Because your text message didn’t really explain that.” Ezekiel refused to meet Jake’s eyes, but if he had, he would’ve found none of the anger Jake was trying to convey. Instead he’d see red-rimmed eyes that were desperately searching Ezekiel’s face for any kind of give that he could use to figure out what had gone so wrong so quickly.

“Well, it was,” Ezekiel insisted. “It was just easier to break it off instead of going down the direction it was going…”

“Easier to-direction it was-?!” Jake was spluttering. “Last night I-!” His face quickly adorned a blush, and he glanced around the room to make sure they were completely alone. He quieted his voice as he continued with, “Last night I told you I loved you. And you said you did too, so I don’t see what the big problem-.”

“That’s the problem, okay!?” Ezekiel finally snapped. He looked to find Jake pulling away, confused look on his face. “Look, it was getting way too cozy. I can’t let that happen because when that happens, things start to go wrong! Just because you say you love someone doesn’t mean you will forever. And I do love you, I do, but someday you won’t love me, and I’ll feel even worse than I do now and-!”

Jacob’s hand curling around his made him stop. Slowly, he looked up and met Jake’s eyes. They weren’t mad or upset. Instead, he looked confused, concerned, and, above all, like the most caring person Ezekiel had ever meet. Why the hell did he have to go and fall in love with someone who was just so perfect?

“H-hey,” Jake said, voice a little unsteady, “what’re you talkin’ about? This has obviously got a lot more to do than just us. You love me right?” Ezekiel slowly nodded because he’d said it anyways so why keep up that lie? “Then let’s talk, okay? None of this lying and avoiding. A-and no more of my anger, okay? Just, please, talk to me. I want to make this work.”

“L-look,” Ezekiel said, sighing and hanging his head, “it’s stupid…”

Jacob reached out his hand and tilted Ezekiel’s head back up. He shook his head. “It’s not. I don’t know what it is, but it’s not.”

Ezekiel sighed again and figured, what did he have to lose? No matter what him and Jake were going to be broken up so why not make a fool of himself to boot? “W-when I was growing up, my family…we didn’t have the most things. W-we were poor a-and really low on the social status scale. The kids at school knew from a pretty young age that I was basically dirt under their shoes and that I knew it too. B-but there was this friend of mine…Keenan. He was a pretty cool guy. He didn’t care how much money I had. Or…I thought he didn’t.”

He stopped and looked up at Jake, who squeezed the hand he was still holding. Ezekiel shook his head. “I sound like a five-year-old crying to their parents about being pushed in the mud. This is stupid.”

Jake’s grip on his hand tightened as Ezekiel tried to get up. He shook his head. “It’s not stupid.”

Ezekiel sighed once again and sat back down. “Fine. Well…Keenan and I became friends in grade ten, or sophomore for you American weirdos. We stayed friends until our last year of high school. I-I overheard someone asking him why he’s friends with the dirt-boy. A-and he told them it was because I let him cheat off my homework and get good grades for free. He’d been the only friend I had in school, and it was only because he was using me.

“Later on, when I got into the thieving career, more people came and went. Each of them I trusted – some I loved – but in the end they were all just using me or just left without a notice. I-I can’t get close to people because if I do, that’s when they start leaving. So I closed myself off from people, became a solo act. When we started here, I wasn’t too nervous. And I’m fine even being just friends with you all.”

Ezekiel stopped, sighing and rubbing his temples with his free hand. He’d never actually expected to tell Jake all of this, but he always was such a sap. If he cared about someone, he cared for them hard. Jake was no different. But he’d leave too, just like all of the others. 

“And then I met you, and you were amazing if not a bit annoying and a bit of a know-it-all at times. B-but then I started falling for you. And then you told me you fell for me too, and I’m really selfish so I let us make a relationship. Last night I realized that was a mistake because in the end you really are going to get tired of me. Everybody does, and I don’t want to see you, of all people, reach that point. I can’t. So it’s better this way…it really is.”

“Ezekiel Jones,” Jacob said, taking a deep breath. “That is the stupidest shit I have ever heard.” Ezekiel tried to tug his hand away, so he could get up and leave but Jake refused to let him go. “No! Not like that! What you said was important, and I’m really glad you told me. What I mean is that no matter what happens, you’re stuck with me, okay? Even if you try to leave, I’ll hunt you down no matter if it takes two days or two thousand years. I’ll break all the Library’s rules and use a time teleporter and find you.”

Ezekiel shook his head. “Look, I knew you wouldn’t get it and try to convince me that I’m wrong and-.”

“That’s not what I’m sayin’,” Jake interrupted. “What I am saying is that right now, at this very moment, I love you. A heck of a lot. And, okay, someday I may not. I’m not gonna lie to you and say this is guaranteed to be forever because you’re not stupid; I know you’re not. But I want it to be. And that’s as good as a promise I can make to you. And, no matter what, you’re not losing me. At least, not on my account.”

“Jake, you can say whatever you want but-.”

“I get that your past was rough,” Jake interrupted again. “But, hell, so was mine. You met my father. I’m not here to try and fix it or make it any better. I can’t because I wasn’t there when it happened. But I want to try and make your present and future so good that your past is simply that…your past. You just gotta let me.”

Ezekiel sighed but he squeezed Jake’s hand. “I wanna let you.” He paused and met Jake’s eyes. “I really do…love you, that is.”

Jake’s smile was small, but it was the world to Ezekiel. “I love you too.”

Ezekiel gave him a tiny grin and it probably looked weak but Jacob’s eyes lit up like he was watching fireworks. 

Maybe this could work. Maybe Jake could help him make his past feel a bit more like the past.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! Thanks for checking this out. I wrote this a while ago and am now officially bringing it over here from tumblr, along with a few other things I've written so feel free to check out my profile for plenty of other Librarians fics! I hope you enjoyed!


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